Clothes have always been to some extent a form of art and design, combining both color and functionality. Color is typically given to fabric, and to the resulting clothes, by dying the textile fibers. The color that the clothes appears to the eye, depends on which wavelengths the fabric absorbs and which wavelengths it reflects. Functionality of clothes is often limited to the design and the inclusion of various materials, and elements, such as pockets and loops, or the like. For the most part, today's clothing typically includes pockets, beltloops, buttons and buttonholes, snaps, etc., and other design elements that increase its functionality.
Generally speaking, the average person will wear a plurality of clothing articles on a daily basis to which will be attached or placed in a pocket of the clothing, a portable electronic device, such as a cellular telephone, a pager, a PDA, a micro-recorder, a small electronic address or data file, a clock/alarm, or some other similar portable electronic device. The problem is that it is often difficult and unwieldy to carry various communication transceivers, such as cellular phones, pagers and other devices.
By using the principles of functionality and color in the fabrication of textile fabrics, and more particularly clothing, increased potential can be found in everyday garments. More particularly, by including functional fibers into textile fabrics, such as through the inclusion of metallic threads, and holographic optical fibers, clothes can be fabricated which are both user friendly in allowing the wearer to better communicate with others, sense surroundings and control their personal environment while minimizing the size of any additional portable electronic equipment that the user typically carries.
In many instances these portable devices are operated utilizing a wireless transmission link. This wireless link, or coupling, is dependent upon the user positioning of the portable electronic device and often times is unreliable as to the ability to receive and/or transmit due to a weak link. In addition, another hardship incurred by the user of these types of devices is the carrying of numerous communication devices while participating in recreational activities, such as biking, running, fishing, or the like.
Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide for a textile fabric that when fabricated into a wearable garment or other functional design, provides for increased functionality of the woven material and thus the garment made thereof.
Accordingly, a textile fabric and clothing fabricated thereof, that incorporates electrically conductive fibers, thus emanating an electromagnetic field for inductive coupling and alternatively providing for a wired coupling would be highly advantageous.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide for a new and improved textile fabric, including a plurality of electrically conductive fibers, that provides for increased functionality when fabricated into an article of clothing.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to provide for a textile fabric that allows for a wired, a wireless, or an inductive interconnect to small portable electronic devices, e.g., a pager, a cellular telephone, a datebook, a clock/alarm, an informational wire service receiver, a micro-recording device, a SMART CARD reader, or the like.
It is still another purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved textile fabric and article of clothing fabricated thereof that provides for the reduction in size of integrated portable communication devices by integrating a portion of the electronics or component parts into the textile fabric.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide for a new and improved textile fabric and article of clothing made thereof wherein the clothing creates a local area network (LAN), thus serving as an antenna for improved reception and transmission capabilities of a portable electronic device coupled thereto.
It is yet another purpose of the present invention to provide for a new and improved textile fabric and article of clothing including a plurality of electrically conductive fibers, and additionally including a plurality of holographic optical fibers that provide for the receipt, transmission and ultimate display of communicative information.